Frost/Nixon Character Card #6 Oliver Platt as Bob Zelnick

FROST/NIXON opens in selected cities 12/5 and 12/12 with a nationwide release on Christmas Day.

Oliver Platt was brought on board to play seasoned journalist Bob Zelnick.  A former national bureau chief for NPR, Zelnick was placed in charge of researching Nixon's domestic and foreign policy for the Frost team.  A virtual encyclopedia of Nixon knowledge, Zelnick played Nixon in the team's rehearsals for the interviews.

"How can it be more intriguing than when Ron Howard calls to send you a Peter Morgan script?" asks Oliver Platt.  "That piques your interest.  You know you're going to be involved in a quality film and surrounded by great people-the two big boxes you always wanna check before you sign on for a project.  Add in actors like Frank, Michael, Kevin, Matthew, Sam...you know you're onto something special."

What impressed the performer most was his director's preparation.  "He has already drilled down through so many layers of the material that it just makes you better.  He gets you involved at every level; he sent me a big box of clippings, books, DVDs of research that helped me flesh out the historical context of the story."

Oliver Platt (Bob Zelnick) has enjoyed great success in film, television and on stage. He recently received his first Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor for his work on Broadway in Conor McPherson's Shining City, which was also nominated for Best Play. Other accolades include a Golden Globe and back-to-back Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Russel Tupper in Showtime's Huff as well as an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal as White House Counsel Oliver Babish on the popular political drama The West Sing. He currently has a recurring role on Nip/Tuck, playing the flamboyant TV producer Freddy Prune.

Platt recently starred in the features Casanova, directed by Lasse Hallstrom for Disney alongside Heath Ledger and Sienna Miller, as well as Ice Harvest with John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton. Other film credits include Funny Bones, Bulworth, Married to the Mob, Working Girl, Flatliners, Postcards From the Edge, Indecent Proposal, The Three Musketeers, A Time to Kill, Doctor Dolittle, Simon Birch, Lake Placid, Don't Say a Word and Pieces of April.

Platt made his producting debut on the indie film Big Night, which was codirected by actors Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott. He would later reteam with Tucci in The Imposters.

On television, Platt was recently seen playing the role of George Steinbrenner on the hit ESPN miniseries The Bronx is Burning, opposite John Turturro and Daniel Sunjata.

Platt graduated from Tufts University with a degree in drama and immediately began working in regional theater, as well as off-Broadway in such productions as The Tempest and John Guarre's Moon Over Miami. He also starred in the Lincoln Center productions of Ubu and Jules Feiffer's Elliot Loves, directed by Mike Nichols, and received rave reviews for his performance as Sir Toby Belch in Brian Kulick's Twelth Night.

The son of a career diplomat, Platt was born in Washington, D.C., and spent part of his childhood in Asia and the Middle East. Platt now resides in New York with his wife and three children.

The film opens in selected cities 12/5 and 12/12 with a nationwide release on Christmas Day. 

For more information visit, http://www.frostnixon.net/    

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